slaphappygamer
10 kW
I’m slaphappygamer. One of my favorite bands is Primus. I’m generally happy and I love playing video games. Slaphappygamer!
I’ve been lurking for a bit, then decided to register. I haven’t said Hello yet.
I started taking things apart when I was about 9 or 10. One day, I took my music keyboard (that I just got as a gift) apart. My parents got upset, but my mom said “here, you can take this apart. We don’t use this anymore.” It was an old Denon radio. I remember taking it apart and being in awe at the board inside. I’ll never forget it. I imagined that I was in a tiny car driving along the traces and going from capacitor to capacitor and diode to diode, pretending that they were all houses and stores. It was fascinating.
I’ll never forget those “placement” tests that you would take in high school to find out what career you should pursue. I scored high in the logic and computer area. It was 1995, a high school senior, and I couldn’t give 2 shits about that test and its results. I never did homework and had summer school every year, until I graduated. School just got in the way of my seeing and playing with the kids on my street. This was a time when you could leave your house unlocked and all the parents knew each other, wether they wanted to or not. They got along for us kids. We were all super lucky to grow up like that.
I really didn’t know what I wanted to be when I was in high school. I worked at McDonald’s, then at Safeway. Then I filed out an application for a utility company. I got in! I was 19. I never thought about going to college after that. I could have a great career right here.
Turns out, yes, I’m very lucky to be having a great career. This is my 25th year now. I’ve become a really good technician. Just recently I was called upon to work in my old group to “put out a fire”. This was a customer out of service for weeks. Took a few days to redesign the circuits, but no one in that group now knows how to do this. I got an “atta-boy” from the management on that side and my current boss has no clue what I just did. Lol
Just over a year ago, I bought an electric bike. It’s a Ride1Up 700 series. I commute to work most days. It’s fantastic! I turned the bike inside out by adding; alarm, keyed ignition with watt meter, a step down converter to feed my brake light, turn signals (front and rear), horn, wireless phone charger. Also replaced the controller with an LCD8H display. I cleaned up all the wiring and fixed some mistakes that I’ve made by having so much wire. I’ve gotten pretty good at making JST connectors now.
I also like hacking video game consoles. I have a PS2 with a modchip, PSVita softmod, Xbox360 with Xk3y, Wii softmod, GBA with an IPS screen, a Switch, and a backlit GBC (sold it). I also have various flash carts.
I also used to have a PSP. When I bought it from Fry’s, one hundred years ago, the cashier asked if I wanted an extended warranty. I told her “no, I’m just going to void the warranty this weekend.” She looked at me and shook her head. I just paid $100 for that thing. Turns out the PSP scene was much more fun than I thought. I would hack other peoples PSP. I wouldn’t ask for money. I genuinely liked just hacking them and was really good. I came across someone who found a newer model. I asked if they wanted mine and I could keep the new one. Since they found it, they didn’t care which one came back, as long as it was hacked. SCORE!!! New PSP for me. Similar thing happened a couple of years later. I got a newer version again.
I was also really into jailbreaking my iPhone. I started with the 3G and currently have the 11 Pro. Now that Apple has “adopted” many hacks from jailbreaks gone past, I no longer hack my phone. Did you know that the 3G couldn’t text photos? That was a hack that Apple “adopted” later. And the Control Center, that was a hack too. Insomnia was also a great hack. It would keep your WiFi alive, even when the iPhone was sleeping.
Music, oh music. I love music. I played drums for about 10 years and currently play bass. I would put Nirvanas Nevermind cassette tape in my radio. It was a fancy radio that auto-played side 2. I would put on headphones and listen to that album while I fell asleep. I would close my eyes and imagine Kurt, Chris, and Dave each playing their instruments. I would isolate them. Especially the drums. I’d know which hand hit what drum. I’d know when Dave would let up on the hi-hat and when he’d kick the bass drum. Then I’d figure how he could hit the same drum with a different hand. I’d change my approach to how listened. I could hear the bass and know which way on the fretboard Chris was moving. The guitar, I heard it, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as the bass or drums. I imagined it was me playing these instruments. Definitely dreaming. Interesting enough, this was the only album I did this with.
I have a bad habit of tapping. I tap on any surface. Sometimes I don’t realize I’m doing it and my wife, and kids, let me know.
This was a little bit about me. I love to learn. I’ve learned so much here already. Sorry if this has gone on long enough and a bit scattered. Maybe I should’ve thought more about college.
I’ve been lurking for a bit, then decided to register. I haven’t said Hello yet.
I started taking things apart when I was about 9 or 10. One day, I took my music keyboard (that I just got as a gift) apart. My parents got upset, but my mom said “here, you can take this apart. We don’t use this anymore.” It was an old Denon radio. I remember taking it apart and being in awe at the board inside. I’ll never forget it. I imagined that I was in a tiny car driving along the traces and going from capacitor to capacitor and diode to diode, pretending that they were all houses and stores. It was fascinating.
I’ll never forget those “placement” tests that you would take in high school to find out what career you should pursue. I scored high in the logic and computer area. It was 1995, a high school senior, and I couldn’t give 2 shits about that test and its results. I never did homework and had summer school every year, until I graduated. School just got in the way of my seeing and playing with the kids on my street. This was a time when you could leave your house unlocked and all the parents knew each other, wether they wanted to or not. They got along for us kids. We were all super lucky to grow up like that.
I really didn’t know what I wanted to be when I was in high school. I worked at McDonald’s, then at Safeway. Then I filed out an application for a utility company. I got in! I was 19. I never thought about going to college after that. I could have a great career right here.
Turns out, yes, I’m very lucky to be having a great career. This is my 25th year now. I’ve become a really good technician. Just recently I was called upon to work in my old group to “put out a fire”. This was a customer out of service for weeks. Took a few days to redesign the circuits, but no one in that group now knows how to do this. I got an “atta-boy” from the management on that side and my current boss has no clue what I just did. Lol
Just over a year ago, I bought an electric bike. It’s a Ride1Up 700 series. I commute to work most days. It’s fantastic! I turned the bike inside out by adding; alarm, keyed ignition with watt meter, a step down converter to feed my brake light, turn signals (front and rear), horn, wireless phone charger. Also replaced the controller with an LCD8H display. I cleaned up all the wiring and fixed some mistakes that I’ve made by having so much wire. I’ve gotten pretty good at making JST connectors now.
I also like hacking video game consoles. I have a PS2 with a modchip, PSVita softmod, Xbox360 with Xk3y, Wii softmod, GBA with an IPS screen, a Switch, and a backlit GBC (sold it). I also have various flash carts.
I also used to have a PSP. When I bought it from Fry’s, one hundred years ago, the cashier asked if I wanted an extended warranty. I told her “no, I’m just going to void the warranty this weekend.” She looked at me and shook her head. I just paid $100 for that thing. Turns out the PSP scene was much more fun than I thought. I would hack other peoples PSP. I wouldn’t ask for money. I genuinely liked just hacking them and was really good. I came across someone who found a newer model. I asked if they wanted mine and I could keep the new one. Since they found it, they didn’t care which one came back, as long as it was hacked. SCORE!!! New PSP for me. Similar thing happened a couple of years later. I got a newer version again.
I was also really into jailbreaking my iPhone. I started with the 3G and currently have the 11 Pro. Now that Apple has “adopted” many hacks from jailbreaks gone past, I no longer hack my phone. Did you know that the 3G couldn’t text photos? That was a hack that Apple “adopted” later. And the Control Center, that was a hack too. Insomnia was also a great hack. It would keep your WiFi alive, even when the iPhone was sleeping.
Music, oh music. I love music. I played drums for about 10 years and currently play bass. I would put Nirvanas Nevermind cassette tape in my radio. It was a fancy radio that auto-played side 2. I would put on headphones and listen to that album while I fell asleep. I would close my eyes and imagine Kurt, Chris, and Dave each playing their instruments. I would isolate them. Especially the drums. I’d know which hand hit what drum. I’d know when Dave would let up on the hi-hat and when he’d kick the bass drum. Then I’d figure how he could hit the same drum with a different hand. I’d change my approach to how listened. I could hear the bass and know which way on the fretboard Chris was moving. The guitar, I heard it, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as the bass or drums. I imagined it was me playing these instruments. Definitely dreaming. Interesting enough, this was the only album I did this with.
I have a bad habit of tapping. I tap on any surface. Sometimes I don’t realize I’m doing it and my wife, and kids, let me know.
This was a little bit about me. I love to learn. I’ve learned so much here already. Sorry if this has gone on long enough and a bit scattered. Maybe I should’ve thought more about college.
